I was never a great Honda fan, though I did have a very pretty CB550F2, and a less pretty CB750K7 (the last version of the original sohc4). I also had a CB400N Superdream twin for a very short while, but the less said about that the better.
, the 400s were pretty rare weren't they?
The 400s were rarer than the 250s as the latter were bought in numbers as a learner bike (at least pre-83 when the law changed to permit 125cc max).I might be the only person on the planet who quite liked Superdreams (maybe it was just the font)
They were up against the 2 stroke offerings from Yamaha, Suzuki & Kawasaki that seemed to be a lot more popular. Honda liked 4 strokes, I think even the SS50 was one, and I can't remember if they made a 2 stroke at that time.I might be the only person on the planet who quite liked Superdreams (maybe it was just the font)
The SS50 was dog slow - i had one - could'nt pull the skin off a rice pudding - was continually getting left behind and rubbish for taking the girlfriend but it was cheap and i visited a lot of girls and sorry mum i didnt make it back sometimes - would have taken too long
I had an FS1E and had a friend with an AP50 and one with an SS50. We swapped bikes 1 day & it was painfully slow, not sure if it even hit 40. Maybe the girls took pity on you
My mum was the same when I was living at home. Couldn’t get to sleep until she heard my bike pull up.I had an FS1E and had a friend with an AP50 and one with an SS50. We swapped bikes 1 day & it was painfully slow, not sure if it even hit 40. Maybe the girls took pity on you
Me and my brother always had bikes and I found out after my mum had died that she could never get to sleep until we were both back home.
The 400four was a real smooth torque engine, pulled all through the Rev range which is why I think I liked them so much. Only ever rode a super dream once when I had a go on my mates. From what I remember they were really lumpy and took some winding up.
I had an FS1E and had a friend with an AP50 and one with an SS50. We swapped bikes 1 day & it was painfully slow, not sure if it even hit 40. Maybe the girls took pity on you
Me and my brother always had bikes and I found out after my mum had died that she could never get to sleep until we were both back home.
Jesus, a C90 followed by and MZ, you had a tough start! I don't know what I'd think now of the tyres we had, skinny things with basic tread patterns and the Japanese OE ones were ok until it rained, when they did get changed for Avons or Dunlops they were ok but not a patch on the tyres of today.I was dead jealous of my mates scooting about on mopeds like 'fizzers' at 16 (though undoubtedly I'd have killed myself).
I had to wait to bit my first big bike, a Honda C90!
Not exactly classy, but completely indestructible. I dropped it more times than I can remember (including within ten minutes of first getting on it), used it as a dirt bike (two up obviously), and generally hammered it everywhere without any maintenance whatsover. It looked a right state, and I'd get pulled over on a weekly basis and given a producer.
I graduated from that onto an MZ125, the one with the 'camel' tank and one key that fitted every other MZ ever made. Amazingly, that thing could really handle, in the dry at least, in the wet the everlasting Russian tyres weren't exactly grippy!
I had my first crash lowsiding the SS50 in the rain when the front washed out - no way it had enough power to high side - kicked the pedal back into shape and off I went
i went from the sublime SS50 to the ridiculous with a Hayabusa ( with a lot in between ) - was either going early or lose my license so got a Hinckley Exploader which i love and will go anywhere on when allowed
Those adventure bikes are decent sized bits of kit. Proper moped, with pedals and a push bike seat and everything, love it!
The beemer is a lovely looking thing too, but it looks like I'd need a step-ladder to get on it.
I've got an old Suzuki dirt bike to potter around on these days, 250cc, 70mph tops, but it feels like going back to my early days of riding (that is, it feels faster than it really is and I'm never quite sure where I'll end up stranded!).
I've got an F800ST, it's lovely to ride but there is a special tool needed for every job and BMW dealers take the piss and a few things have gone wrong on it. I think I'm going to go back to Honda but maybe the 500/650 twin as I'm too old for a sportsbike or maybe if I could find an old T100 or T120 I could go classic.
its a keeper
ridden at every opportunity - but boy after 60 miles you ( or at least the rest of my body does) know about it ! riding the Exploader is like being on the sofa compared to this but i love it all the same
Fnnrrrr. I always, always lusted over a Jota. Lucky, lucky bastard!
Ha ha. About as subtle as a sledgehammer across the back of the head. Used to love seeing Roger (Windy Corner) Winterburn wringing their necks. Brave man!What I like about them best, is their subtlety.
I think there might be a tiny spec of dust you've missed on it, just towards the very bottom of the centre-stand. But I haven't brought my microscope, so I can't be sure.
I have just watched The Motorbike Show where Allen Millyard tells Henry Cole how he built his tribute replica by following a model building manual and scaling it up to full size. He said his main reason for building it was so he could ride it and he couldn't afford £1m to buy the real thing!
Yeah, not that one
Panda 4x4?Yeah, not that one
Ended up next to Alan at the Tewkesbury classic on Sunday - had a short chat as he is very popular - he had his 6 cylinder Kwacker Z 900 sounded lovely
